Former Halifax back David Nofoaluma has shed light on the sudden demise of the Panthers last month, detailing that the players were told via email regarding their contract status.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nofoaluma was one of 22 first-team players at the Panthers at the time of their demise, but has since found himself a new home at Super League side York Knights \u2013 via a loan from Championship side Newcastle Thunder.<\/p>\n
As a result, the dual-Samoa and Serbia international has joined fellow back Tanguy Zenon in the top flight, with the former Catalans Dragons man heading to West Yorkshire outift Huddersfield Giants for the rest of the season, while Charlie Graham, Jack Hansen, Tom Inman, Ronan Dixon, Bayley Liu and Brad Day have also penned deals with Championship sides for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
David Nofoaluma sheds light on Halifax demise<\/p>\n
Financial issues had surrounded the club even prior to their compulsory winding-up order last month, with a winding-up petition served upon them as far back as October 2024 by His Majesty\u2019s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), but even then, the sudden nature of their demise caught the rugby league public off guard.<\/p>\n
That is also reflected in the testimony of Nofoaluma, who detailed that the players were told via email that they were made free agents.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt started off with receiving an email,\u201d the winger said. \u201cThere was a long statement, but in short, it was pretty much saying that we (the players) were free agents. Fortunately for me, I was performing for Halifax<\/a>, so it was just a matter of making things happen (with regards to a move).<\/p>\n \u201cIt was definitely a shock,\u201d he added. \u201cYou\u2019re playing week in and week out, then one night you get an email saying it\u2019s all done. \u201cA lot of things hit you and go through your head, especially for the international players over here, but I\u2019m sure a lot of players were thinking about how they restructure their lives, their careers and jobs and whatnot. It was definitely a big shock.<\/p>\n \u201cPersonally, I made my peace with it. I said what I needed to say, and I wrote something up on Facebook. With me coming over here (York), I\u2019ve got no time to wait around and have to move quickly, especially with the journey I\u2019ve been on. As sad as the situation was at Halifax, it worked out for me playing at the top in Super League.\u201d<\/p>\n Want more Love Rugby League? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> and ensure you never miss our exclusives and breaking news!<\/p>\n But, even if he won\u2019t be returning to the Shay, rugby league is coming back to the town this weekend after\u00a0the Rugby Football League (RFL) granted membership to a new consortium<\/a> led by local businessman Martyn Buchan.<\/p>\n As a result, Halifax will welcome London Broncos to the Shay on Sunday (8th March) as well as play out the 2026 Championship<\/a> season, and Nofoaluma has already thrown his backing behind the new group.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the players live near Halifax, have strong ties to the club, have been there for a long time, and just everyone involved there,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people who are coming in to take over and take control are going to do a good job and build a structured club.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fans deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n Ahead of their return, Love Rugby League\u00a0understands that former Panthers head coach Kyle Eastmond will take the reins once more, but he will need to piece together a squad from scratch.<\/p>\n While the aforementioned octet are all plying their trade at new clubs, 14 members of the previous squad are still on the open market and could be brought in to bolster the ranks, and in a similar situation to Salford RLFC, could also dip into the loan market for additional reinforcements.<\/p>\n WEDNESDAY\u2019S READS ON LRL<\/p>\n Halifax\u2019s return confirmed as Panthers hit with hefty points deduction<\/a><\/p>\n York Knights boss issues comprehensive injury update with duo set to return<\/a><\/p>\n Wigan Warriors suffer crucial Jai Field setback as star man undergoes surgery<\/a><\/p>\n